National and regional parties and their policies
The Election Commission classifies parties as national, state or registered (unrecognised), mainly to allot election symbols. Each party states its policies in a manifesto.
When is a party a national party?
- The Election Commission decides. A party is recognised as a national party if it meets any one of three conditions.
- It is recognised as a State party in four or more States.
- It wins at least 6 per cent of the valid votes in four or more States, and also wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha.
- It wins at least 2 per cent of all Lok Sabha seats, from at least three States.
- Your NIOS lesson words these conditions differently, with figures of 4 per cent and 3.33 per cent of seats. The idea is the same: support spread across several States.
- The Election Commission reviews party status after general elections, so the list of national parties changes. The table below gives the parties your lesson names as national parties in 2009.
National parties named in the lesson (2009) and their stated policies
| Party | Founded | What it says it stands for (as described in the lesson) |
|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress (INC) | 1885, in Bombay | Democracy, secularism and socialism; liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation (LPG) together with welfare of the weaker sections; both agriculture and industry; strong grassroots bodies; an active role in the United Nations |
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | 1980, after leaving the Janata Party; grew out of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh | Nationalism and national integration, democracy, positive secularism, Gandhian socialism and value-based politics |
| Communist parties: CPI and CPI(M) | CPI in 1925; CPI(M) after a split in 1964 | Parties of workers and peasants based on Marxism-Leninism: socialism, socialist ownership of industries, land reforms, rural uplift and a self-reliant economy; opposed to capitalism, imperialism and globalisation |
| Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) | 1984, by Kanshi Ram | A party of the deprived: the poor, the landless, the unemployed and Dalits; draws on Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, Ramaswami Naicker and Dr B. R. Ambedkar; motto 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay' (welfare and happiness for all) |
| Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) | 1999, a breakaway group of the Congress | Policies broadly like those of the Congress; main base in Maharashtra |
| Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) | 1997, after the Janata Dal broke up | Socialist programmes and social justice for backward castes and minorities; main base in Bihar |
Regional parties
Regional (State) parties have influence in one State or a few States. They grew to meet regional aspirations, and many have led their State governments. Their support has helped national parties form coalition governments at the Centre. Because of them, the party system has become more federal, and the Centre responds more to the States. This has strengthened the cooperative side of Indian federalism.
Regional parties named in your lesson
- Trinamool Congress: West Bengal.
- Asom Gana Parishad: Assam.
- DMK and AIADMK: Tamil Nadu.
- National Conference: Jammu and Kashmir.
- Samajwadi Party: Uttar Pradesh.
- Shiromani Akali Dal: Punjab.
- Shiv Sena: Maharashtra.
- Telugu Desam: Andhra Pradesh.
National party and regional party
These descriptions follow each party's stated aims as given in your lesson. They are not a judgement of any party.
On the ballot, each recognised party has a reserved symbol, which helps voters who cannot read to find their choice. The Election Commission's classification decides which parties get such a symbol.
1 marks: “Into which three categories does the Election Commission classify political parties?” National parties, State parties and registered (unrecognised) parties.
2 marks: “Distinguish between a national party and a regional party, with one example of each.” A national party has support across several States, such as recognition as a State party in four or more States; an example is the Indian National Congress. A regional party has influence in particular States; an example is the DMK in Tamil Nadu.
3 marks: “State three major policies of the Communist parties in India, as described in your lesson.” Any three: socialism and socialist ownership of industries; land reforms and rural uplift; a self-reliant economy; opposition to capitalism, imperialism and globalisation. They are workers' and peasants' parties based on Marxism-Leninism.
The Election Commission sorts parties N-S-R: National, State, Registered (unrecognised). National status needs support in four or more States.